Because only the caterpillars of the Monarch have adapted to be unaffected by the defense, they have no competition for the food source. Monarch caterpillars are able to eat leaves of the milkweed and store the glycosides in their own bodies, which makes the caterpillar toxic.
There's another butterfly out there that's disguised as a monarch. Viceroy butterflies look exactly like monarchs to the untrained observer. Viceroys "mimic" monarchs in appearance.
The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is nearly identical to the Monarch. It has orange-brown wings with dark black veins. A black line across the hindwing distinguishes it from the Monarch. The Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is just slightly smaller than the Monarch.
Males have a small black spot on the top surface of the hindwing. Females do not. You can see the spot when the wings are open; sometimes it's faintly visible when the wings are closed, too. Males also have slightly thinner wing veins.
It was long thought to be a Batesian mimic of the monarch butterfly, but since the viceroy is also distasteful to predators, it is now considered a Müllerian mimic instead. The viceroy was named the state butterfly of Kentucky in 1990.
Viceroy (butterfly)
| Viceroy |
|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
Viceroy and MonarchNaturally, scientists have supposed that the viceroy was using a trick. Birds don't eat the viceroy either, and scientists thought the reason was simply that the viceroy looks so much like the monarch. Lots of animals in nature have come to look alike over thousands of years. They are called mimics.
Wing color patterns of butterflies perform different signalling functions, from avoiding bird predators to attracting potential mates. Other butterflies mimic the 'aposematic' or warning colouration and conspicuous wing patterns of these toxic or just plain foul-tasting butterflies.
After it emerges as a butterfly, the Monarch will be poisonous to dogs (or people) who try to eat them. These beautiful butterflies don't carry enough of the toxin to kill, but the small amount of milkweed toxin is enough to make a dog pretty sick. The dog could develop nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
How long do monarchs live? Monarch butterflies typically live from 2 to 6 weeks except for the last generation of the year, which can live up to 8 to 9 months.
Ecological Role - The viceroy mimics the toxic monarch and queen butterflies. Once a predator has become ill from eating one of the three butterflies, it would likely stay away from all three types, saving more of these species from being eaten. Birds that have not eaten the queen or monarch may prey upon the viceroy.
The next year his science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. The theory was that viceroys look like monarchs because monarchs don't taste good to birds. Viceroys, on the other hand, do taste good to birds.
Off. Butterfly's are prey to a number of predators, which includes birds, spiders, lizards, small mammals and even other insects.
Viceroy Butterfly Habitat and Host Plants
Attract viceroys by planting their host plants—willow, cottonwood and poplar—in your backyard garden. Viceroy butterflies lay their eggs on willow leaves and members of that family.One fascinating fact about the Monarch butterfly is that it is poisonous. Not to humans, but to predators such as frogs, grasshoppers, lizards, mice and birds. Milkweed plants are very important to these butterflies; in fact, females will only lay their eggs on these plants.
The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a very familiar species due to its size and striking pattern of orange, black, and white. It also is unusual because, unlike most butterflies, some Monarchs migrate for the winter.
leaves, depositing two or three eggs per plant. Host plants are mainly willow, poplar and cottonwoods—all plants in the willow family (Salicaceae), but the females will also deposit eggs on plums, apples and cherries. The caterpillars eat their egg cases after hatching, then they feed at night.
Like the Monarch butterfly, Queens favor milkweed as a host plant and for nectar. Queen butterflies also nectar from other flowers, including Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), Beggar's tick (Bidens alba), Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) and native Lantana (Lantana involucrata, Lantana depressa or L. canescens).
Leaves or other above-ground parts of the plant are poisonous. They contain several glucosidic substances called cardenolides that are toxic. Milkweed may cause losses at any time, but it is most dangerous during the active growing season. Several species of milkweed are poisonous to range animals.
Some animals mimic themselves as a form of protection.
- alligator snapping turtles.
- copperheads.
- coral snake.
- firefly.
- Ismenius tiger butterflies.
- kingsnake.
- mockingbirds.
- monarch butterfly.
